Dr. Terry Gibbs receives the Excellence in Education and Mentoring Award from the Neurosteroid Congress

Terrell Gibbs, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, received the Excellence in Education and Mentoring Award at the Neurosteroid Congress held on April 3, 2014 in Durham, North Carolina.

Terry has served the scientific community with distinction for over 30 years. With undergraduate and doctoral training at MIT and Harvard Medical School, respectively, Terry pursued his interests in neuropharmacology, first at Downstate Medical Center and then at Boston University. His research has involved elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of CNS abnormalities such as autism and of CNS classes of agents such as benzodiazepines and neurosteroids. A long-standing collaboration with David Farb, Ph.D., Chair of Pharmacology at BU, has been an especially productive one in their joint efforts in the pursuit of molecular mechanisms of CNS phenomena. His work as a faculty member has also been characterized by a strong commitment to the education of students in various professional degree programs. Terry has played a key role in the design and implementation of the curriculum for the Biomolecular Pharmacology Predoctoral Training Program at Boston University, supported by NIGMS since 1997. He has guided innumerable PhD candidates through the concepts underlying ligand-receptor interactions, preparation for and successful completion of qualifying examinations, and the rigors of dissertation writing and defense. Medical, dental, and MA students at Boston University have also benefited from his remarkable skill at explaining the principles of pharmacology and the actions of drugs affecting the peripheral and central nervous system. All medical students over the past‎ 23 years have learned the principles of pharmacodynamics under his tutelage and that his dedication to teaching the foundation of pharmacological principles has been a key component of their success on the boards.

Terry’s interest in pharmacologic research in many areas, and the rationale evaluation of evidence of drug efficacy and safety, have been hallmarks of his approach as an educator and served as an outstanding role model for both students and colleagues.‎ His contributions to research have been numerous in the fields of benzodiazepines as modulators of GABAergic function and neuroactive steroids.